Bean (also known as Bean: The Movie, Mr Bean: The Movie or Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie) is a 1997 British comedy film based on the British television series Mr. Bean. Directed by Mel Smith and written by Robin Driscoll and Richard Curtis (both writers for the TV series), the film stars Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean, Peter MacNicol, Pamela Reed, Harris Yulin, Sandra Oh and Burt Reynolds.
It is a British-American venture produced by Gramercy Pictures, Working Title Films, Tiger Aspect Films, and distributed by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Universal Pictures. Bean was released in the United Kingdom on 2 August 1997 and in the United States on 7 November 1997 to mixed reviews from critics but was a box office success, grossing $250 million worldwide against an $18 million budget. A stand-alone sequel titled Mr. Bean's Holiday was released a decade later.
The main plot unveils Bean's "ultimate disaster" as he commits the largest mishap he's done so far: ruining the priceless painting "Whistler's Mother", which has been bought by an American art gallery, following other unfortunate misadventures in the United States.
Synopsis
Mr. Bean works as a security guard at the "Royal National Gallery" in London, but is always causing problems. Because of this, the gallery's board of directors, who wish to fire him for always being late for work, constantly sleeping on the job, and having no manners, decided to send him to America under the pseudonym of "Dr. Bean" to oversee the transfer of the painting Whistler's Mother to the Grierson Art Gallery in Los Angeles, California. In truth, this was done so that they'll be rid of him for a while. Meanwhile at the aforementioned art gallery, David Langley, Grierson's curator, was impressed by Mr. Bean's profile, unaware that the details are not true. He offered to let Bean stay at his home for two months. Upon returning home, David tells his family of it, who were against the offer of letting Bean into their home. David's wife, Alison, is hostile about having to look after him, while David's teenage and rebellious daughter Jennifer calls Bean a creep and considers him "ugly as Meat Loaf's butt".
During the plane ride to America, Bean accidentally falls alsleep on the lap of man sitting beside him. This made the man so uncomfortable that he is forced to change seats. After a while, Bean took a kid's barf bag, which has vomit inside, blows into it, and makes the bag blow up with his hands, which splattered puke all over a passenger in front of him, which is the same man who sat beside Bean. Once at the airport, Mr. Bean pulls a prank on the police by pretending to have a gun. Consequently, this resulted in a chase, which leads to Bean's arrest by Lieutenant Brutus, who is unsettled by the latter's odd behaviour. Once released, Bean meets David Langley and his family, with whom he is to stay for his visit. Despite winning the affection of Kevin Langley, David's son (played by Andrew Lawrence)
Alison later leaves after Bean breaks a family heirloom while fiddling with a CD player. In his wife's absence, David offers to take Bean on a tour of the Los Angeles art galleries. However, Bean decides that he would rather go to Pacific Park. The pair go on a motion simulator ride that Bean wants to go to, however, he didn't seem to have much fun at all (even to the point of falling asleep), and exits the ride as normal. However, upon discovering the control room of the ride unattended and reading the manual on how to maneuver it, Bean decides to make the ride faster. Having modified the ride to be more exciting for him (to the expense and horror of David and the other riders), Bean is swiftly detained by Brutus again. Back at home, Bean's attempt to cook a turkey (in less than 5 hours) for David's boss and his wife fails when the microwave explodes, spraying turkey flesh all over the kitchen. Afterwards, David seriously doubts Bean's knowledge of art, so he asks him simple, somewhat obvious questions about art and finds that he is not a doctor after all and that he knows nothing about art.
Once the painting arrives at the gallery, Bean is given a few minutes alone to study it for his grand "speech" at the official revealing ceremony. However, whilst dusting the frame, Bean sneezes on the painting and wipes it with a handkerchief, not knowing that it is covered in blue ink. Terrified, Bean takes it to the caretaker's cupboard to get some agent by which to remove the ink. Unfortunately, he uses lacquer thinner, which causes the paint to lift. He rubs it but the face was removed as a result of a said substance. Bean attempts to patch it up with an extremely unconvincing cartoon face. On seeing it, David Langley is horrified and hides the painting in the metallic frame. Fearing he will lose his job and possibly face criminal proceedings for the vandalism of Whistler's Mother, David and Bean drown their sorrows with alcohol.
During the night, Mr. Bean hatches a plan to restore the painting. He gathers a few items from the house and makes his way to the gallery. He distracts the only security guard on duty by pouring laxative to his coffee and misplacing the keys and exchanges the painting for a poster version of itself, along with some egg whites and clear nail polish brushed on to give it a realistic, painted touch and some chewing gum to get it to stick. At the unveiling the next day, David is shocked to find the painting restored and Bean is left to make an unconventional, impromptu, but well-received speech about the painting's significance. After the unveiling, Lieutenant Brutus finds David (who initially imagines that he has discovered the truth) and informs him that his daughter, Jennifer, has been involved in a motorcycle accident and is in intensive care (which David had told Jennifer not to do it earlier, but refused due to her rebellious nature). David is given a police escort to the hospital, although Brutus stops on the way after seeing a man with a gun.
Due to a mix-up at the hospital, Bean is mistaken for a doctor (he is still wearing his "Doctor Bean" name tag from the gallery) and pushed into an operating theater containing Brutus, who has been shot. While the other doctors and nurses are distracted, Bean unconventionally retrieves the bullet and saves him. Bean is again mistaken for a doctor, this time by David who pulls him in to see Jennifer, who is unconscious. Bean is unsure what to do and starts playing about with a defibrillator, managing to electrocute himself but bringing Jennifer back to consciousness after being thrown onto Jennifer. Still not recognizing him as Bean, they stop him and tell him that they will offer him anything. Bean then pulls down his face mask, much to the shock of David, Jennifer, and Alison, and asks if he can stay for another week. David drives Bean to Sunset Boulevard, where, after learning the finger from a biker (who at first was so impressed by the thumbs up), he misinterprets it as a greeting gesture and inappropriately shows it to people as they pass by.
After another week in Los Angeles with the Langleys, Bean goes home. At the end of the movie, Bean is back in his London flat, and is shown to have taken the original Whistler's Mother home with him, still having the cartoon face he drew on it. The credits close with Mr. Bean walking into the viewing area, breaking the fourth wall and ending the film with: "Yes, I normally stay to the end as well...bye.".
Cast
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Mr. Bean | Rowan Atkinson |
| David Langley | Peter MacNicol |
| Chairman | John Mills |
| Allison Langley | Pamela Reed |
| George Grierson | Harris Yulin |
| General Newton | Burt Reynolds |
| Elmer | Larry Drake |
| Security Buck | Danny Goldring |
| Stingo Wheelie | Johnny Galecki |
| Detective Butler | Chris Ellis |
| Kevin Langley | Andrew Lawrence |
| Lord Walton | Peter Egan |
| Gareth | Peter Capaldi |
| Delilah | June Brown |
| Doctor Rosenblum | Peter James |
| Doctor Cutler | Clive Corner |
| Dick Journo | Rob Brownstein |
| Phyllis Quill | Julia Pearlstein |
| Walter Merchandise | Tom McGowan |
| Bernice Schimmel | Sandra Oh |
| Jennifer Langley | Tricia Vessey |
| Stewardess Nicely | Alison Goldie |
| Tucker (Passenger) | Dakin Matthews |
| Timmy Pewker Jr. | Scott Charles |
| Officer Stubbles | Thomas Mills |
| Mrs. Goodwoman | Ronnie Yeskel |
| Lieutenant Brutus | Richard Gant |
| Sylvia Grierson | Priscilla Shanks |
| Kart Pusherman | Richard Hicks |
| Nurse Desking | Gigi Fields |
| Nurse Pots | Lela Ivey |
| Doctor Jacobson | David Doty |
| Doctor Frowning | Robert Curtis Brown |
| Doctor Squeaking | Perry Anzilotti |
| Nurse Pans | April Grace |
| Nurse Dyper | Janni Brenn |
| Nurse Gripes | Annette Helde |
| Anxious Man | Richard Irving |
| Passenger | Chris Lowe |
| Student | Paul McMichael |
| Venice Freak | Louis E. Rosas |
| LAX Traveler | Maridean Mansfield Shepard |
| Gallery Board Member | Reg Thomason |
Trivia
- This movie doesn't feature a laugh track playing in the background.
- Irma is absent from this movie.
- This is the first theatrical appearance of Mr. Bean.
- This movie was rated PG-13 for moments of vulgar gestures and risqué humour.
- This is the only instalment in the Mr. Bean franchise where Mr. Bean talks more often.
- This is the only Mr. Bean film of the 1990s and the 20th century.
- Mr. Bean's Scrapbook confirms that Mr. Bean has since been 40 years old, according to his Beverly Hills arrest report.
- The producers were initially looking for an unknown actor to play General Newton. But being a fan of Mr. Bean (1990), Burt Reynolds asked for a role, and was then cast to appear as Newton.
- Jimmy Smits was considered for the role of Lieutenant Brutus.
- This movie was going to end with Mr. Bean returning to the National Gallery, only to find it abandoned, so he ends up mailing himself back to the Langley family. In truth, the staff of the Gallery staged the whole thing to drive Mr. Bean away.
- It was rumored that this movie was originally going to end with an earthquake in Los Angeles, California, and the quake causes the glass frame surrounding Whistler's Mother to shatter and break, and the frame to break revealing Whistler's Mother as the poster with which Mr. Bean switched the original, and when Elmer finds that it isn't the real painting, the movie ends with him screaming. An earthquake scene, without Elmer screaming, appears at the start of a trailer for the film.
Goofs
When Bean is looking at the painting for the first time, he puts his hands on his hips. When he does, it lifts his jacket. When this happens you can see his mic pack clear as day.
Gallery
| Mr. Bean |
|---|
| Episodes |
| Mr. Bean • The Return of Mr. Bean • The Curse of Mr. Bean • Mr. Bean Goes to Town • The Trouble with Mr. Bean • Mr. Bean Rides Again • Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean • Mr. Bean in Room 426 • Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean • Mind the Baby, Mr. Bean • Back to School, Mr. Bean • Tee Off, Mr. Bean • Goodnight Mr. Bean • Hair by Mr. Bean of London |
| Compilation |
| The Best Bits of Mr. Bean |
| Unaired sketches |
| The Library • The Bus Stop |
| Deleted scenes |
| Turkey Weight • Armchair Sale • Marching • Playing With Matches |
| Comic Reliefs |
| Mr. Bean's Red Nose Day• Blind Date• Torvill & Bean • Mr. Bean's Wedding • Funeral |
| Remake sketches |
| Mr. Bean Takes an Exam • Mr. Bean Goes to a Première |
| Commercials |
| Rema 1000 • M&M's • PolyGram Filmed Entertainment • Fujifilm • Nissan Tino • Snickers • Etisalat |
| Youtube specials |
| Mr. Bean's 25th Anniversary • Beans Gets Diamond Play Button |
| Films |
| Bean • Mr. Bean's Holiday |